Ottawa singer-songwriter Malak is one of the showcase artists at this year's edition of the Megaphono music- industry conference, which takes place Feb. 1-3 in various locations in Ottawa and Gatineau.Tarek Ghanem / -

Singer-songwriter Malak went to the 2016 edition of Megaphono, the Ottawa music-industry conference and showcase festival, without a lot of expectations.

A student in Carleton University’s singer-songwriter program, she had just released her first album, a five-song EP entitled Circus, and was handing it out to every music-biz type she met.

Now she’s thrilled to be one of the showcasing artists at the third annual Megaphono, which takes place Feb. 1-3 in various locations across the Ottawa-Gatineau region.

The conference portion features panels and networking events aimed at people in the music industry, while the artist showcases are open to the public. More than 50 artists are showcasing during the three-day event.

“I think I was kind of in a what-now stage,” Malak says of her situation last year. “I wasn’t completely lost, but I didn’t know what my direction was. As soon as I went to Megaphono, I was like, ‘OK, now I know what I’m going to do.’”

One of her biggest eye-openers was learning that industry reps look for artists with their own unique sound.

“They care a lot more about originality than I originally thought,” says the 21-year-old, who graduates this spring. “I thought people were looking for whatever’s playing on the radio but they’re actually looking for something that’s original. Likeable and accessible still, but original. I thought that was pretty cool.”

Indeed. When it comes to originality, no one sounds like Malak. At a recent Girls To The Front songwriters’ circle at Irene’s Pub, Malak filled the room with her incredible, multi-octave voice, accompanying herself on keyboards to a song that evoked the epic scope of Lady Gaga mixed with the artistic sensibility of Kate Bush. The emotion in her voice was spine-tingling.

Malak also showed her star power during the first installment of the Shot In the Dark video series, which captures a one-song live performance by a variety of Ottawa-area artists. More than a dozen videos by different acts have been released by producer/organizer Dean Watson and his team. Most rack up a few thousand views; Malak’s impassioned rendition of her song, Rule the World, is closing in on 90,000 hits.

So who is this curly-haired ingenue? Born Malak Ghanem in the U.S., she was raised in Egypt and moved to Canada at the age of 16 with her mother. After many years of piano and voice lessons, and international vocal competitions, it made sense to try to launch a music career in North America.

“I think my mom thought the musical opportunities would be in larger abundance here,” says Malak, although she isn’t certain why they didn’t end up in Montreal or Toronto. “I don’t know why she chose Ottawa. Maybe because it’s the capital?”

Whatever the reason, the city has provided a supportive environment for Malak to find her sound, and part of that is due to her studies at Carleton University. After high school, Malak applied to music programs at McGill University and the University of Toronto, although she didn’t really want to study jazz or classical. When she found out about Carleton’s singer-songwriter program, she was intrigued.

“I decided early on I wanted a career in music but I never thought I’d write a song,” she says. “I thought I’d just be singing. When I found out about the singer-songwriter program, what attracted me was that it wasn’t classical and it wasn’t jazz, which was exactly what I wanted.”

As you might expect, one writes songs in a singer-songwriter program and Malak discovered she has a knack for it. When a classmate invited her to sing backup on a recording, she found her way to Watson’s Gallery Studio in the Glebe and soon became a client. That’s where she recorded the EP, a mini concept album with a circus theme, revolving around cabaret pop-style songs that explore the challenges of show biz.

In the 12 months since last year’s Megaphono, Malak says her style has continued to evolve. She’s been listening to artists like Lorde, Sia and 21 Pilots, some of the most popular songwriters of her generation, and is exploring the electronic pop landscape. A new album is in the works.

She’s also been gigging around town with her band (Dan Robidoux on keyboards and Mike Giamberardino on drums), going out to shows, maintaining her social media presence and creating videos.

For her, Megaphono is a great networking opportunity. “I want to make long-term connections,” she says. “I want to get to know the delegates and learn more about what they do. And I’m totally stoked to be showcasing.”

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